Revelations: A change for Mother's Day

I ask what her plans are and make sure to encourage her to take the day off.

We laugh and exchange I love yous, and then she asks me, "Did you remember my card?"

My mother, in her genius way of making statements in the form of questions, knows most likely the answer is no.

For her, the woman who has everything, the woman who is so impossible to shop for because of her extremely difficult-to-predict taste, she prefers cards for most major holidays.

For me, I prefer gifts. Nothing fancy, nothing showy, but I like little gifts that say, "Hey, I knew you'd like this."

They're more intimate and show the people in your life you pay attention.

That's how I give gifts. I pay attention to the person and pick gifts I know, not assume, they will enjoy.

That's what I always do for my mother. Gifts sans cards.

And why not the cards? There's no real reason. I'm just not a fan.

I never think to buy them, and I usually look at them as $4 or $5 better spent on an extra little gift.

They're priced-up pieces of paper with poems or encouraging notes that I could write myself - and usually do anyway.

It's like paying $5 for something that'll inevitably end up in the trash. And they will, unless you're one of those people who saves every card from every occasion.

Thank-you cards, invitations - I get it. You need them. They serve a purpose. I keep them on hand. And I hang them up at the office whenever I receive one.

But most of the other cards on the Hallmark aisle are merely fancy paper with glitter, pop-outs and illustrations waiting to end up in someone's trash can.

I love the e-card idea, but most people will say they're not as personal as a tangible greeting card.

I like to say they're better for the environment, but I never seem to win that argument.

My dislike of cards is a strange thing. It's almost parallel to disliking ice cream or refusing to smile at puppies learning how to run and play with their equally cute puppy siblings.

It's weird.

And for the people in my life, like my mother, who enjoy the card gift above all else, it's just mean not to accommodate her wishes. (Although, I will say my failing-to-remember cards characteristic was never malicious. I just didn't make them a priority purchase. Out of sight, out of mind.)

But this year, something changed. I realized I needed to embrace the cards, if only to please those on the receiving end.

I stood on the card aisle last week and decided to go all-out.

I made a point to gather cards for all the mothers in my life and send them all a Mother's Day card.

My mom, of course, received the cutest card and an extra little surprise this year. Hope you enjoy it, Mom.

And I hope this becomes a new tradition for Mother's Day and all the other card-giving days throughout the year.

It may not be the most significant change I've made in my life, but maybe that's why it will be significant to someone else.

Happy Mother's Day.

Jennifer Preyss is the faith editor for the Victoria Advocate. You can reach her at 361-580-6535 or on Twitter @jenniferpreyss.